November 29, 2014

If your household is swimming in turkey and mashed potatoes leftovers, here's an easy meal to prepare with what remains of Thanksgiving dinner.

Make it and bake it right in the skillet, doesn't get much easier than that! Find my recipe here on PBS Food.

And with Thanksgiving behind us and December just around the corner, I've got a wonderful giveaway for you, generously provided by the lovely folks at Nature's Path. This giveaway features Nature's Path Feel Good Holiday Gift Box which includes $50-worth of goodies including their amazing Love Crunch Gingerbread Granola, their super addictive Chia Coconut Granola, and tons more yummies that will bring some tasty and healthy holiday cheer to your kitchen table.

PLUS, in this lovely gift box, you'll find everything you need to create these 3 super duper DIY edible holiday gifts (click on the links for the recipes):

Gingerbread Crunch Brittle:The most heart-felt gifts are homemade. In just 20 minutes, this brittle recipe can be made and put aside for either snacking or giving to loved-ones. Add a little ribbon to a mason jar and give out to your party guests.

Nature's Path is a family-owned business that is certified organic as well as non-GMO verified. I love their products and this is a giveaway I'm proud to host! As an aside, when food companies approach me to host giveaways or endorse their products, I always do a quick bit of research on them and usually I say no, because so many food manufacturers out there, even the so called "natural" ones are actually owned by bigger corporations whose food philosophies I don't wish to support. For instance, Annie's is now owned by General Mills, Kashi is owned by Kellogg's (which has been donating lots of money against GMO labelling initiatives in various states, paying for misleading ads to scare people into thinking food prices will skyrocket if GMOs are labeled (which has been shown to be false). In the world we live in, it's really hard to find truly sustainable food products made by companies who actually stand by their values. Nature's Path is one such company. So I hope you'll enjoy this fun giveaway, you can enter right here:

a Rafflecopter giveawayA lucky winner will be chosen and announced on December 6th! Eligible to US and Canadian residents only. Good luck and Happy Holiday Season!!

November 26, 2014

Tomorrow is my first American Thanksgiving and here's what I'm thankful for right now (other than the fact I will get to eat multiple pies tomorrow): I'm thankful for people who aren't afraid to speak up. We live in a pretty messed-up world and I'm really grateful that there are people out there willing to put themselves on the line to make this world a better place and make it so that this planet can continue to sustain us and produce delicious food for us to enjoy.

I'm thankful for the activists working so hard to make sure the Keystone XL pipeline never rips apart some of the best farmland in this country. We can live without oil, but we can't live without food.

I'm thankful for the hundreds of volunteers who put in so much time in Oregon to try to help pass the GMO labelling vote that took place a few weeks ago. Thanks to their work, Measure 92 is now headed for an official recount because (despite millions of dollars in misleading ads from Monsanto & friends) the future of GMO labelling in Oregon has come down to a difference of just 809 votes!

I'm thankful for the many people bravely speaking out for racial justice in this world, following the Grand Jury's decision on the Michael Brown case.

And I'm thankful for all the farmers and gardeners out there who are saving seeds, despite our government's best efforts to put seed control in the hands of large corporations.

Sometimes, when I'm surfing Facebook and seeing all the important work my friends are doing, I feel a bit lame that so much of my time these days is spent taking photos and videos of food, or making the same pie 10 times in a row so that the recipe is just right, or pondering new ways to make a plate of shepherd's pie look sexy. I suppose it's quite simply because growing and cooking food feeds my soul and makes me happy, which seems a little selfish. But if in turn it feeds your soul just the tiniest little bit, then maybe I've put a speck of good into the world.Mostly, I love what I'm doing, but every now and again, I do wonder if I'm doing enough, you know? I guess the questioning is a good thing... I'm sure we can all continuously be finding new ways to do our part, whatever humble form that takes at any given moment in our lives.

And on that note, dearest reader, I offer you a Maple Syrup Tarte Tatin with a Rye Crust, a variation on the classic tatin, which I posted about on PBS a few weeks back. That's what the above video features, the classic version, but aside from using maple syrup instead of sugar and throwing a little rye in the crust, the steps are the same. I love this version because it doesn't have any refined sugar. The caramel is simply made from pure maple syrup and butter coming together and doing their sticky magical thing. My boyfriend prefers the classic tatin (probably because it is a bit sweeter and tastes like true caramel and apples) but in my books, there's nothing that tastes as good as butter, maple syrup, and apples all simmered up and cozy together under a blanket of flaky dough. Have I sold you on it yet? Whichever one you choose, I hope it brings some joy to your day.

Make the dough:Make sure your butter is very cold. (I sometimes cut the butter into cubes, and then place it in the freezer for 5 minutes or so). Whisk both rye and wheat flours with the salt in a large bowl. Rub the cold cubed butter into the flour with your fingers, until the biggest pieces are the size of peas. Mix the apple cider vinegar into 1/4 cup of the ice cold water. Pour this over the flour mixtures and mix gently, gradually trying to bring the dough together into a very rough ball. If the dough is too dry for this to happen, add a bit more water, 1 teaspoon at a time. The ball of dough will be a bit messy and crumbly, but it's better to have a messy ball of dough than to overmix at this point. Wrap the dough and place it in the fridge for an hour (or overnight). Unwrap the dough unto a very lightly floured countertop and roll it into a rectangle (about 8 x 11 inches). Don't worry about crumbly bits and resist the temptation to add water or flour. Fold the dough into thirds, like a letter. With the seam parallel to your body, roll the dough into an 8 x 11 rectangle again. Fold it like a letter again. Repeat this folding process one last time and place the dough in the fridge for another 30 minutes to an hour. These folds will give your dough a beautiful flakiness, thanks to the laminated layers of butter. Prepare the apples:While your dough is resting, peel, core, and quarter the apples. Place the cubed butter in a large 10-inch oven-proof skillet and begin to melt it down over medium-high heat. Add the maple syrup and lemon juice. Cook for a minute, just until the whole thing begins bubbling. Remove from heat and place the apples, curved side down, as tightly as you can fit them together. Once all the apples are arranged, return to medium-high heat and let the apples simmer away in the caramel for a good 12 to 15 minutes. You can spoon some of the caramel over the apples if you wish. Every now and again, check the apples to make sure they aren't burning on the bottom. Once your caramel is nice and thick (about 12 to 15 minutes, remove from heat. (If at any point your caramel starts to burn, immediately remove from heat and move on to the next step). The apples will have shrunk a bit while cooking so bring them back as close together as you can, making them fit nice and tightly together.Bake the pie:Remove the dough from the fridge and let it rest at room temperature for 5 minutes. On a lightly-floured surface, roll out the dough to about 1/8 inch thick (not too thin). Place it over the apples, leaving a slight overhang. Tuck the overhang into the caramel, right around the outer edge of the apples, nice and snug. (This pie crust edge cooked in caramel is my favorite part of tarte tatin!). Make a few slits in the dough so the steam can escape during baking. Place the pie in a preheated 375 F oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until the crust is golden and crisp to the touch.Flip the pie:Now comes the trickiest part of making a tatin. Some recipes call for cooling the pie for 10 to 15 minutes, and others call for flipping the pie immediately so the caramel doesn't have time to cool and harden. I like to wait for about 5 minutes at the most, just to give the top of the crust a bit of time to cool and crisp up. (Once you flip it, it can get a little compressed and lose its crispness as it cools). If you don't have a plate large enough to go over the rim of your skillet, use a cutting board. Hold the plate or cutting board as tight as you can against the rim of the skillet. Use oven mitts or plenty of tea towels so you don't burn yourself with any hot caramel. Flip the pie over in one swift motion. Uncover it carefully and put any apple pieces that have gone astray back in their spot.Best served warm, shortly after it is made.Some final notes:Some tatins are made by cutting the apples in eighths and placing them cut side down on the caramel. I tried this method but the apple layer was too flat and my crust became soggy from cooking right in the caramel. Cutting the apples in quarters gives the apples pieces enough height that the dough can sit on top the apples and not lie directly in the caramel. I find this yields best results.(And this... THIS chewy edge of caramel poached dough is what I'm talking about)

November 25, 2014

Last month, while October was still in its full glory, something kind of magical and marvellous happened. We hosted our first corn harvest day at the farm, in part because in previous years, it took us days on end to pick and husk our field corn (in other words, we desperately needed some helping hands) but also because it was a great excuse to host an outdoor feast and gathering with family and friends.

For the occasion, I prepared several large pots of hearty chili made with our homegrown beans, some chewy chocolate chip cookies made with our own whole wheat flour, and copious amounts of golden cornbread made with the very corn that we were harvesting.

Surrounded by the sounds of kids laughing, some heartfelt conversations with new and old friends, and the birds chirping their pre-winter songs, corn picking suddenly became way more appealing than when it was just two of us face to face with a field of corn that seemed to stretch on forever.

As they say, many hands make light work and by the end of the day, we had picked almost a quarter of the field.

And while the idea of purchasing a mechanical corn picker had seemed so appealing in previous years (and in some ways still does - let's just say, the corn picking that took place in the days to follow was not nearly as warm and fuzzy as that first communal harvest day) seeing how much enjoyment everyone got out of picking and husking corn together, it suddenly made me sad to think that with a few quick passes of a machine, we would miss out on such a festive communal effort.

In days gone by, before farming became as large-scale and mechanized as it is today, corn husking bees were a much-anticipated yearly social event. Neighbours would gather to help one another pick and husk their corn, usually followed by a feast and a barn dance. It feels really good to at least partially revive a custom that has long been forgotten in many farming communities.

It also feels really good to grow organic, open-pollinated corn in an era when most of the cornmeal sold is made from GMO corn. Each time I husked a perfect, majestic ear of corn, there was a triumphant voice inside me that said "take THAT, Monsanto". We don't need your GMO seeds, we don't need your toxic pesticides. Corn can grow beautifully and productively in a soil that is well-nurtured and looked after.

The cornbread recipe you see me making in the above video is one that was shared with me by my dear friend Rebecca Sornson. I'll never forget the first time she made it. She brought it to a potluck we were going to and after dinner, there was literally a line-up of people waiting to talk to her, pen and paper in hand, ready to write down her recipe. It's now one of my go-to recipes and I think of her whenever I make it. It yields a moist and bright yellow cornbread. I've shared the recipe on my blogpost at PBS Food. Let me know if you make it, and to all my American friends, happy Thanksgiving!

November 22, 2014

I am still slowly coming back to reality after the whirlwind of tastes and sights that was this year's Devour Film Festival. Man. Lia Rinaldo and Michael Howell sure know how to put on a rocking food and film party, one that lasts 5 whole glorious days. Some of the highlights were: Anthony Bourdain (yes, just hanging out in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, no biggie), getting to finally meet the brilliant duo behind Perennial Plate (awesomest, nicest, most talented yet down-to-earth 2 people you will ever meet - have you seen the trailer to their new PBS series??), tasting various types of whiskeys and their corresponding cocktails (in my normal life, I don't even like whiskey) at the 'Fun With Mixology' workshop (I evidently had too much fun with the samples and spilled the most top-notch whiskey all over my pants, leading to a few raised eyebrows from my dining companions), the amazing Matt Armendariz and Adam Pearson's food styling workshop (check out Matt's blogpost, where he made me fall in love with my hometown all over again), and the honour of doing jury duty alongside the marvellous Lucy Waverman and Tommy Struck. What. A. Blast.

Did I mention there were oodles of smoked mackerel? Joy.Unfortunately for me, partying often leads to paying for it later. (And I was making some rather superhuman attempts to simultaneously attend this year's ACORN organic conference happening at the same time as Devour, an hour away in Halifax - moral of the story: don't try to be in two places at once). I'm now nursing a very unpleasant flu cold thing. Eating lots of chicken soup and salads is helping. As is mulling over the infinite possibilities of pies to potentially make for my first American Thanksgiving. More on that later. But for today, a humble salad made of two unlikely yet delightful companions: apples and celeriac.

I'm a huge fan of the rich earthy taste of celeriac (also known as celery root and tastes like a cross between celery and turnip). This slaw is a lighter twist on French celeriac remoulade which consists of grated celeriac and mayonnaise. I've added apples. parsley, and a light vinaigrette and the whole thing is very tasty and fall-like. If you've never had celeriac, this is a great way to get acquainted with it. You may also want to try my celeriac parsnip soup. Both the slaw and soup are great Thanksgiving dishes.Get my Celeriac Apple Slaw recipe over here at PBS Food.